Field Courses

Students have the opportunity to take any of a number of field courses in higher years of their degree program.  Some take place during the school year, but most run during summer months (May - August) because most studies need to take place when the ecosystem is active, and when students are available to visit sites for longer periods of time (2-4 weeks). Field courses typically cost more than a standard course, as students pay for transportation, room and board, meals. Many involve exciting opportunities to explore unique ecosystems and conduct independent research on site. Typically field course are intense experiences for a few weeks on a specific subject, and count as a half course credit.

-Field Courses: ERSC 3850H, 3860H, 3870H, 3880H, 4850H, 4860H, 4870H, 4880H

-Field Course Research Projects: ERSC/ ERST 3905Y, 3906H, 4905Y, 4906H

Courses with field trip components:

- EGEO-ERSC-GEOG 3003H Field Methods in Environmental Geoscience

- ERST 3790H: Exploring the City

- ERSC 3510H: Ecology and Management of Wetland Systems

- ERSC-BIOL 3260H: Applied Biomonitoring

- ERSC 4520H: Restoration Ecology

- EGEO-GEOG 3002H: Structural Geology

- GEOG 3860H: Field Research in Geography

- SAFS-CAST-ERST 3340H: The Canadian Food System: Community Perspectives and Experiences

- SAFS-ERSC-BIOL 3370H: Organic Agriculture: Principles and Practices

Prerequisite: 14.0 university credits and a minimum average of 75% in ERSC/ ERST courses; or permission of the TSE director.

If you have questions related to in-house field courses, please contact the Trent School of the Environment.

Ontario Universities Program in Field Biology

Trent students also have the opportunity to take field courses through the Ontario Universities Program in Field Biology (OUPFB). This organization pools together summer field courses offered by all Ontario universities, and provides any Ontario university student the opportunity to sign up for any of these courses (as long as they meet the prerequisites). The course list varies somewhat from year to year, and is quite diverse, including destinations within Ontario, across Canada, and internationally, research on a wide range of topics, and run times at various times throughout the summer. 

Each course has its own prerequisites, which you will see when you browse the courses. Some of these courses may be available to be used as a 0.5 credit course toward a TSE degree (many are pre-approved as an ERSC credit), and may be assigned as third or fourth year.

Typical sign up time for these courses is mid-late January for the following summer field season, and some courses fill up fast, so it is recommended you start looking at the course list in December. Each university (including Trent) gets a number of 'reserved' spaces for their university's students. Some field courses have strong environmental content and may be taken as an ERS Program credit. 

Please contact Marcel Dorken or Susan Chow (both of the Trent University Biology Department) to learn more about the OUPFB and the opportunities available to Trent students.